MiSTerClaw
Provides tools to manage and configure Tailscale VPN on a MiSTer-FPGA, enabling secure remote access to the system from anywhere.
👾🦀 MiSTerClaw — MCP Remote Control for MiSTer-FPGA
MiSTerClaw is the first MCP server for MiSTer-FPGA. Control your MiSTer from any AI agent.
What is this?
MiSTerClaw lets AI agents — Claude, ChatGPT, OpenClaw, Hermes, Cursor, and others — control a MiSTer-FPGA over the network. Launch games, search your ROM library, take screenshots, read and modify core settings and DIP switches, navigate the OSD menu using conf_str-based position calculation (experimental, not yet reliable for all cores), query detailed system information, manage the system, and even set up Tailscale VPN for secure remote access from anywhere. Floppy-disk cores (PC8801, MSX, etc.) support PostLaunch auto-reset for seamless game loading. It uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard, so any MCP-compatible client works out of the box. For agents without MCP support, a CLI client is also included.
Related MCP server: go_computer_use_mcp_server
MCP Setup
Add MiSTerClaw to your MCP client config:
Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"misterclaw": {
"command": "/path/to/misterclaw-mcp",
"args": ["--host", "mister-fpga"]
}
}
}Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"misterclaw": {
"command": "/path/to/misterclaw-mcp",
"args": ["--host", "mister-fpga"]
}
}
}MCP Tools
Tool | Description |
| What's currently playing |
| Launch a game by search or path |
| Search the ROM library |
| List all available systems with ROM counts |
| Take a screenshot (returns PNG image) |
| System info (hostname, IP, temp, RAM, disks, uptime) |
| Send keyboard input (OSD navigation, named keys) |
| Query OSD menu structure from CONF_STR database |
| Show only visible OSD menu items based on current config |
| Read core settings (options + DIP switches) |
| Modify core settings with automatic backup |
| Reload current core to apply config changes |
| Navigate to a specific OSD menu item by name |
| Get system config, notes, and OSD menu for a system |
| Rescan ROM library (optionally for specific drive) |
| Manage Tailscale VPN |
| Execute shell commands |
Example Conversations
Once configured, just talk to your agent:
You: "What games do I have for SNES?"
Agent: You have 13,435 SNES ROMs! Here are some highlights...
You: "Launch Street Fighter 2"
Agent: 🎮 Launched Street Fighter II Turbo on SNES!
You: "Take a screenshot and show me"
Agent: [screenshot of the game running]
You: "What systems do I have?"
Agent: Your MiSTer has 70+ systems! Top ones:
- SNES: 13,435 ROMs
- C64: 46,736 ROMs
- Amiga: 55,793 ROMs
...
You: "Set up Tailscale so I can reach the MiSTer from anywhere"
Agent: Installing Tailscale... Done!
Please authenticate: https://login.tailscale.com/a/xxx
After that your MiSTer is reachable from anywhere.
You: "What settings does R-Type have?"
Agent: R-Type (M72 core) has these settings:
Core Options:
- No Death Mode: Off
- Service Mode: Off
DIP Switches:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Coin A: 1 Coin / 1 Credit
- Lives: 3
- Demo Sounds: On
- Continue: Yes
You: "Enable No Death Mode"
Agent: ⚙️ Set "No Death Mode" to On in R-Type.
The core reloads automatically — change is live!
You: "Navigate to the Reset option in the OSD"
Agent: Navigated to Reset in the SNES core OSD.
You: "What do I need to know about the PC8801 system?"
Agent: PC8801 uses the PC8801 core with .d88 floppy disk images.
Notes: After loading a disk, press F12 → Reset to boot.
OSD Menu: FDD0, FDD1, Reset, CPU Speed, ...CLI Client
For agents that have shell access (like OpenClaw, Codex, or Claude Code), the CLI client can be more efficient than MCP — no tool schemas in context, just call it when needed. It's also useful for shell scripts and automation.
# Check what's playing
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga status
# Search for games
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga search "zelda" --limit 5
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga search "sonic" --system MegaDrive
# Launch a game
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga launch "super mario world" --system SNES
# List all systems with ROM counts
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga systems
# Take a screenshot
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga screenshot -o game.png
# System info (CPU, memory, storage, uptime)
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga info
# Run shell commands — configure MiSTer.ini, run updates, manage files
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga shell "cat /media/fat/MiSTer.ini"
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga shell "/media/fat/Scripts/update_all.sh"
# Send keyboard input (OSD navigation)
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga input key osd
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga input combo leftalt f12
# Query OSD menu structure
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga osd-info
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga osd-info --core SNES
# Navigate to a specific OSD menu item
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga osd-navigate Reset
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga osd-navigate "Aspect ratio"
# Get detailed system info (config, notes, OSD menu)
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga system-info PC8801
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga system-info SNES
# Read core settings (options + DIP switches)
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga cfg-read
# Modify settings
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga cfg-write --option "Free Play" --value On
# Reload core to apply changes
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga reload
# Rescan ROM library (after adding new games)
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga rescan
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga rescan --location usb0
# JSON output for scripting
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga status --json
misterclaw-send -H mister-fpga systems --jsonAll commands support --json for machine-readable output.
Installation
Three binaries:
Binary | Runs on | Purpose |
| MiSTer (ARM7) | Server — runs on the MiSTer itself |
| Anywhere | CLI client for direct commands |
| Your machine | MCP server — bridges AI agents to MiSTer |
Quick install on MiSTer
scp misterclaw root@<mister-ip>:/media/fat/Scripts/
ssh root@<mister-ip> "/media/fat/Scripts/misterclaw --install"Or self-install: copy the binary to MiSTer, then run misterclaw --install. This copies to /media/fat/Scripts/, configures autostart on boot, and is idempotent.
To uninstall: /media/fat/Scripts/misterclaw --uninstall
Security
⚠️ Do not expose port 9900 to the internet. The ClawExec protocol has no authentication or encryption.
Tailscale VPN (recommended) — encrypted, authenticated, works from anywhere
Local network only — keep port 9900 accessible within your LAN
Never forward port 9900 through your router or firewall
Architecture
Agent ←MCP→ misterclaw-mcp ←TCP→ MiSTer:9900 (misterclaw server)
Agent ←CLI→ misterclaw-send ←TCP→ MiSTer:9900 (misterclaw server)The MCP server and CLI client communicate with the MiSTer over the ClawExec protocol (newline-delimited JSON over TCP, port 9900).
Dynamic System Detection
MiSTerClaw auto-detects all systems by scanning ROM folders, installed cores, and MGL files. No configuration needed — a well-stocked MiSTer typically has 70+ systems. Discovery results (including full ROM file listings) are cached to disk. First startup scans and builds the cache; subsequent starts load instantly. Use the rescan command after adding new games or drives.
Building from Source
# MiSTer server (ARM7)
GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm GOARM=7 go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o misterclaw ./cmd/misterclaw/
# CLI client
go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o misterclaw-send ./cmd/misterclaw-send/
# MCP server
go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o misterclaw-mcp ./cmd/misterclaw-mcp/License
MIT
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